1. Field of the Invention
One of the problems associated with sport fishing is keeping fish alive during long fishing intervals, and early efforts to this effect included stringing the fish on chain and cord stringers which were hung over the side of the boat. Since the fish are exposed to hot, oxygen-depleted surface water under these circumstances, they soon die. Furthermore, the fish tend to become entangled in weeds, moss and other underwater obstacles when placed on such stringers. Later attempts to prolong the life of fish included the installation of one or more live wells in boats, some of which live wells include water circulation pumps and external pumps for pumping surface water from the lake directly into the live well or wells. While ice is sometimes added to the live wells to cool the water, the cooling effect does little to alleviate the problem since this water is oxygen-depleted and unfit to sustain life, having been pumped from the surface of the lake or water body. Since the suction intake for conventional live wells is attached to the boat, it is located just below the water surface and only surface water is therefore available for pumping into the live wells. A similar problem exists in the maintaining of minnows, small bait fish and other bait such as shrimp in a live condition during both salt water and fresh water expeditions.
In recent years it has become apparent that fish of various species will migrate to certain depths in a water body where the conditions of ph, oxygen content and/or temperature are optimum. These stratum or "comfort zones" may change throughout the day and night due to temperature and sunlight variation and are not the same for every species of fish. For example, lake trout generally prefer a colder lake stratum than black bass. This comfort zone is typically located by fishing lures which are retrieved at known depths or by using an electronic fish locator.
This invention relates to the maintaining of fish and marine life in a live condition in holding tanks, bait containers and in one or more live wells in a boat. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for transferring water having an optimum ph, oxygen content and/or temperature for sustaining the life of fish and other marine life such as shrimp, from a comfort zone stratum in a water body containing the fish or shrimp to a holding tank or to one or more live wells in a boat, for keeping the fish and shrimp or other marine life alive. The apparatus includes a water pick-up cone attached to the end of a flexible hose, which hose is mounted on a reel carried by a dock, floating structure or a boat, by raising and lowering the cone to determine an optimum depth where water of comfortable life-sustaining qualities for fish is located. The opposite end of the hose is routed to a holding tank or to one or more or live wells in a boat and in a preferred embodiment of the invention, a submersible pump is located in the water pick-up cone for transferring water of optimum ph, oxygen content and/or temperature into the holding tank or live wells. In a second preferred embodiment, the pump is located on the dock, floating structure or in the boat and operates to pump water from the selected water stratum through the pick-up cone and hose into the holding tank or live wells. In a most preferred embodiment of the invention the system is mounted on a boat and the pump which is located in the boat is provided in addition to the conventional live well pump which pumps surface water from the lake or other water body directly into the live wells of the boat in conventional fashion. In another most preferred embodiment of the invention, sensors for determining the ph, oxygen content and/or temperature conditions of the water are located in the pick-up cone and are connected by sensor wires to a monitor located on the steering console or elsewhere at a convenient point in the boat, in order to provide instant indication of the respective water conditions monitored at the desired depth. Additional sensors may also be installed in the holding tank, live well or live wells, in order to determine whether the ph, oxygen and/or temperature conditions in the holding tank or live well(s) are the same as those in the lake or water body being fished at the estimated comfort depth stratum for fish. The method of this invention includes the steps of determining the approximate depth in the water body where the fish are located; lowering the pick-up cone to that zone or stratum by operation of the reel which carries the pick-up hose; determining the ph, oxygen content and/or temperature of the water in that comfort zone by operation of the monitor; pumping water from the selected comfort zone through the pick-up cone and hose into the live well or live wells; and periodically monitoring the water in the live well(s) to determine whether the ph, oxygen content and/or temperature is compatible with that of the water at the comfort zone depth.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various techniques for fishing and transferring fish from one environment to another are known in the art. An early technique for catching and loading fish is disclosed is U.S. Pat. No. 1,447,553, dated Mar. 6, 1923, to M. R. Hudson. The "Trawl" disclosed in this patent is operated beneath the surface of the water in conventional fashion, but includes a hose attached to the collection end of the trawl for receiving the fish and pumping fish directly from the trawl to the boat without retrieving the trawl. A "Means for Catching Fish" is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,163,282, dated June 20, 1939, to K. Hovden. The Hovden patent discloses an underwater vacuum tube which is designed to suck fish through an expanded collection end to the boat. U.S. Pat. No. 3,421,245, dated Jan. 14, 1969, to D. W. Lerch, discloses a "Fish Pump System With Combined Articulated Support Boom and Conduit". The fish pump system detailed in this patent is characterized by an articulated boom for locating a fish pick-up nozzle in the water when the boat is pitching and rolling in high seas, in order to continuously pump fish from a net located in the water and enclosing the fish, into the hold of the ship. A "Method And Apparatus For Handling Fish" is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,583,365, dated June 8, 1971, to Darrel G. Harden. This patent discloses a method and apparatus for transferring live fish from one body of water to a retaining container and then to a second body of water. The method includes flowing a stream of water containing entrained fish under a pressure differential into a retaining container, where the fish are strained out and the water stream is continually removed. The fish are subsequently released from the retaining container by reversing the flow of water into and out of the retaining container. U.S. Pat. No. 3,940,867, dated Mar. 2, 1976, to Matthew J. Sikich, discloses a "Guidance Valve For Fish Pumps". The patent details an intake guidance valve for connection to an intake opening of a fish pump having a frusto-conical shield open at its small end and at its base. A conical deflector is mounted on the shield and a plurality of vanes extend at an end beyond the base of the shield and at at their other ends towards, but short of, the apex of the deflector, to provide multiple, upward-tapering guidance passages. An annular flange projects radially from the base of the deflector, such that the water and fish are drawn radially into the guidance passages.
It is noted that the prior art patents delineated above each detail an apparatus and method for collecting and pumping fish from a water body to a fishing vessel or holding tank. The transfer of water by the pumping apparatus in each of these patented systems is incidental to the desired transfer of fish.
It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved method and apparatus for transferring water from a selected depth and stratum of optimum comfort to fish or other marine life to a holding tank, bait container or at least one live well of a boat.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved method and apparatus for transferring water from a selected comfort zone in a water body to a holding tank or the live well or live wells of a boat, which water is characterized by a selected ph, oxygen content and/or temperature for sustaining the life of fish or other marine life taken from the water body or elsewhere and placed in the holding tank or live well(s).
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved reel and water pick-up apparatus for transferring water from a selected depth and stratum of a water body to the live well or live wells of a boat, which apparatus is characterized by a water pick-up cone mounted on one end of a flexible hose which is wound on a reel attached to the boat, wherein the pick-up cone is lowered to a selected water depth and stratum of optimum comfort to fish, and water from this comfort zone is pumped through the hose to the live wells, in order to sustain the life of fish placed in the live wells.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved reel and water pick-up apparatus for mounting on a dock, floating platform or a boat and pumping water from a selected depth and comfort zone or stratum where fish are located, into a holding tank, bait container or the portable or built-in live well or live wells of a boat, which apparatus is characterized by a water pick-up cone mounted on one end of a flexible hose or tube, with either a submersible pump provided in the pick-up cone or a non-submersible pump located on the dock, platform or in the boat, and the hose or tube suspended from a reel mounted on the dock, platform or boat, wherein water is pumped from the selected depth into the holding tank, bait container or the live well or live wells, to sustain the life of fish taken from the water body at the selected depth and placed in the holding tank, bait container or live wells.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for pumping water having a selected ph, oxygen content and/ or temperature from a selected depth or comfort zone for fish to the live well or live wells of a boat, which apparatus includes a water pick-up cone provided with a submersible pump and fitted with ph, oxygen and/or temperature sensors and a hose carrying the pick-up cone, which hose is wound on a reel attached to the boat, wherein the reel can be operated according to the method of this invention to raise and lower the pick-up cone to the optimum water depth, in order to pump water at this depth through the hose into the live well or live wells and sustain the life of fish placed in the live well or live wells.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved method and apparatus for pumping water from an optimum depth or comfort zone for fish in the water body, to the live well or live wells of a boat, which apparatus includes a pick-up cone having ph, oxygen and/or temperature sensors therein for determining the ph, oxygen content and/or temperature of the water at this selected depth; a hose carrying the pick-up cone and wound on a reel attached to the boat; and a pump provided in the boat and located in association with the hose, for pumping water at the selected depth into the live well or live wells for sustaining the life of fish in the live well(s).
A still further object of this invention is to provide a method for providing water of optimum ph, oxygen content and/or temperature from a selected depth in a water body to the live well or live wells of a boat for sustaining the life of fish, which method includes the steps of lowering a water pick-up cone to a selected depth and comfort zone or stratum wherein the ph, oxygen content and/or temperature of the water is at an optimum level for the attraction of fish; pumping water from this stratum into the live well or live wells; monitoring the ph, oxygen content and/or temperature of the water at the selected stratum in the live wells; and periodically comparing the condition of the water in the live wells to the condition of the water at the selected depth in the water body.